s'mores and scars and superstores
by gsdlover1623
Summary: Powerless AU. Tsubomi Kido remembers her summer at Yuukei Summer Camp as one of the best of her life, and sometimes she thinks back to the other children that were in the Red Cabin with her. But 7 years is a long time, and while wondering the cosmetics section at Belk's, Kido can't help but wonder when fate decided that she would be fun to mess with.
1. campfires

**AN: i don't even know. if y'all follow me for yj fics, then sorry to tell you, but i've fallen into a kagepro pit and i can't get out. anyway, i'm rereading the manga in preparation for the anime (oNE WEEK!) and this kinda...came out. so yeah. which is it? powerless au? camp au? everyone meets at belks after 10 years? i don't know you tell me.**

**disclaimer: credit to jin, who is a gOD**

* * *

Tsubomi Kido does not like bugs. There are many other things she doesn't like, but the one at the front of her mind at this moment is bugs, and that is because she is surrounded by them.

She is also surrounded by other kids, but she doesn't necessarily _not_ like them; most of them, anyway. Kido huffs, and a sliver of her hair drifts away from her forehead. She doesn't like the heat either, you know.

"Tsubomi! Hey, hey, Tsu-_boooo_-mi!"

There, two other things she doesn't like. Her first name, which feels like acid on her tongue, and sounds like sandpaper in her ears. And Shuuya Kano, who has a scar above his left eye that is an inch long and made of raised skin. (She sees him in front of the mirror some mornings, trying to maneuver the hair of his eyebrow over the blemish, but it never works, and he always comes away from the mirror with a displeased frown. The frown never stays, but the demeanor tends to...linger.)

Kano is one of the said kids that are currently sitting around her, and he is the one that she dislikes. He is loud, and obnoxious, and always smiling. There is a _reason _they were picked for this cabin, and it certainly isn't because they were too happy or something.

"_What_, Kano," she replies, voice soft and whispery, barely even there. He hears her and his grin remains stubbornly in place.

"Oh, nothing." He shrugs, hands stuck in his pockets and hood over his head. That stupid know-it-all smirk is still on his face, and his eyes wander up to where the stars are. "It's just, tonight is our last night here, and you still haven't proclaimed your undying love for me. Don't you think you're cutting it kinda clo-"

Kido hits him so hard he falls off the log he had been sitting on.

He mumbles complaints.

Kido smirks.

Ayano scolds her from across the fire.

Ayano Tateyama is a skinny girl that was given the forsaken task of being the co-counsellor for this particular cabin. She has a smile that takes up half her face, and hair the color of chocolate in a freshly-made s'more. (A bad analogy, but Seto is currently devouring a s'more next to her, so she thinks that it's okay.)

Retreating as far back into her hood as possible, Kido blushes in shame, and she hopes no one notices. Kido doesn't like being scolded; she never has. She especially doesn't like being scolded by Ayano.

But soon, Kano scrambles back to his place on the log, and Ayano goes back to talking with her co-counsellor, Shintaro Kisaragi, all excited hands and toothy smiles. The group settles into a calm, Kano mimicking owl sounds and Seto coaxing Mary to try a s'more. (She does eventually, white hair bouncing as she nods when Seto asks "Is it good?")

However, the calm is soon interrupted by sneakers pounding on the ground, snapping twigs and rustling bushes. Another second passes, and Momo Kisaragi rushes into the clearing, hair mussed and cheeks stained pink. Shintaro stands and Kano stops his racket mid-hoot, but it is Ayano that rushes to the girl, quickly guiding her to a spare space on her own log. A crumpled leaf, brown and defeated, falls out of her hair on the way.

"Momo, what happened?" That is Shintaro, eyes wide and hands clenched. Kido stares unblinkingly.

"Th-the boys...found me...and chased me...a-again," she huffs. The entire group grimaces. (Except for Kano, who is apparently finding the situation all too hilarious.)

The 'Momo Hunt', as it was jokingly dubbed, had begun two nights ago, after Kisaragi had agreed to take the stage in karaoke on one of the nights where all the cabins got together. The majority of the camp's boys (and some of the girls) hadn't quit hounding her since that night. It made Kido sick to see Kisaragi treated so harshly just because she did something 'special.'

It's funny, Kido muses, her eyes following the flames as they dance along a charred branch, that everyone hated the Red Cabin until Kisaragi got their attention. Well, they still hate the majority of the cabin. It's just Kisaragi they're partial to.

"You know," Kano says, and everyone turns to him. He has a way of making it seem that whatever he has to say is worthwhile. It is one of the things that Kido hates about him. "We need a different name." His hands are propped against the dirt behind their log and his feet stretch almost to the fire. The stars hold his gaze.

Ayano giggles, a light tinkling sound that drifts through the air. "What do you mean, Kano?" She always makes sure to call people by whatever name they like best. It is one of the things that Kido likes about her.

Fingers digging trenches into the ground, Kano smiles softly. It is a new kind of expression for him, one that Kido has not seen on him before. "I don't think we should be the Red Cabin anymore. Everyone thinks the Red Cabin is 'bad'."

Kido thinks she sees a hint of bitterness enter his gaze, but she pretends she doesn't.

Suddenly, Kano propels himself forward, arms stretched outwards. Kido ducks out of the way and Seto leans away to avoid being hit.

"Let's call ourselves the Mekakushi Dan!" Silence meets him head on, but Kano keeps going. "The only cabin competition we won was Pin the Tail on the Donkey, so our new name should have some connection to that! And we had to wear a blindfold didn't we?" His hands move through the air like fish in a river and Kido finds herself watching their path.

"We don't know what Mekakushi means," deadpans Shintaro. Kisaragi nods and Ayano bites her lip, looking curious.

"We-ell," Kano starts and Kido is fairly certain that she will be performing a facepalm in the near future. "Mekakushi, my _dearest_ cabinmates, is Japanese for blindfold, which, in case none of you noticed, is a main component of the esteemed game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey."

He says it likes it's a monologue, all proper grammar and big words. Kido thinks that he's too smart for someone who claims to not go to school. She doesn't say it, though.

"Why Japanese," asks Ayano, and oh no she actually looks _excited_ about this.

"Because Japanese," - a sharp grin cuts across his face - ,"is _cool_."

Cue facepalm.

* * *

The next morning, cars and vans and the occasional truck lines up at the camps entrances, and Kido actually finds herself wanting to stay. Seto had left with the church representative an hour ago, and the others pretended that they didn't know exactly what kind of life he was going back to. (It's a lonely one, Kido knows. When they had talked of parents and siblings, Seto had only mentioned a nice dog that would lay on his legs if he got cold.)

Kisaragi and Shintaro's mom picks them up next, on time and driving a shiny Buick. The boys that are still present halfheartedly chase after the car as it pulls out of the camp drive way. Kido thinks she pities Kisaragi, but she can't be too sure, because she doesn't have an inkling of what she must be going through with those boys.

Mary's mom arrives after that, in a taxi of all things, and Mary runs to her like hell is on her heels. She had seemed to get smaller by the second after Seto had left. Her mother has white hair too, which surprises Kido. But soon the two of them are gone and the thought leaves her mind entirely.

Ayano, Takane, and Haruka are inside Mr. Tateyama's private cabin. Ayano is returning home with her father, and Mr. Tateyama is giving Takane and Haruka a 'special' ride home, due to their 'conditions.'

Kano's ride still hasn't arrived, though, which intrigues Kido to a degree. He had always spoken of his mother with a positive tone, so positive that it makes Kido question why he was even in the 'problem' cabin. If he lived a happy life, then why be placed with those who didn't? Kido knew the answer, she just didn't like to admit she did.

Every time Kano opens his mouth, he spews stories of joy and satisfaction, but Kido knows these are lies. His mouth say one thing, but his body says another. Everyone at camp had been forced into the same dull grey bathing suit (all except Haruka, who wasn't allowed to exert himself by swimming), and Kido had seen the scars. Everyone had seen them, and even now they whisper, throwing glances to where Kido and Kano stand, suitcases at their feet.

"You know," says Kano, and Kido snaps out of her daze. His voice is low and serious, and it suits him somehow, no matter how unfitting it is when compared to the Kano that Kido has come to know over the past month. "You should talk more."

Kido stares ahead, unblinking, waiting for her father's car.

"I'm just saying, your voice is kinda nice." Out of the corner of her eye, Kido sees his hand reach up to rub the back of his neck. She knows that there is a long scar on his right shoulder blade, and wonders if his fingertips are brushing against it. Then she catches herself and stops such stupid thoughts from continuing. "At least, when you actually use it. Who knows, some guy might fall in love with that voice. Or a girl if that's what you're into!"

The last sentence is delivered in his usual joking manner, and Kido doesn't feel any remorse as her fist connects with his side. She notices, for the first time, that he flinches, and, okay, maybe she does feel _some_ remorse.

But then her father's car is there and he is honking the horn, and Kido doesn't even waste a goodbye on the boy that is crouched on the gravel. She does, however, waste one last glance on him.

She sees a single silhouette under the sign that read Yuukei Summer Camp, and can't help but think about that inch long scar made up of raised skin that he was always trying to hide.

* * *

**AN: okay so that's it for now. also: takane and haruka weren't at the campfire because of their sicknesses, but they were in the red cabin. more will be revealed about all that went on at the camp later on (i hope...), so now, let's just hope my muse stays. if you notice any mistakes, please let me know! however, i'm not looking for a beta because a beta means commitment to a fic and i don't even know the basic plot of this yet. so yeah. i'm kagepro trash. there will be mountains of kidokano. sorry for any ooc. that is all.**


	2. cosmetics

**AN: nnghhh this is so rushed and choppy but oh well. i wanted to get this out before tomorrow as a little 'happy birthday to me'. but yeah. tada i guess.**

**disclaimer: how much would it cost to buy kagepro bc i need more of it in my life**

* * *

Tsubomi Kido does not like crowds. She never has, because crowds mean talking, and talking is not fun. She has gotten better at expressing her thoughts through her tongue and her teeth and her lips over the past seven years. Speech lessons crowd her adolescence, the lesson of how to project one's voice engraved unto her very being. But, Kido is not perfect, and therefore her talking is not perfect, so she prefers to stay unnoticed whenever she can.

Unnoticed, after all, means silence.

But this crowd is anything but silence. Shopping bags are sprinkled throughout and mothers excitedly titter to their children and friends. Kido questions once again why she chose Belk's as a place to buy new sneakers; she is fairly center that there is a Famous Footwear just two blocks away.

Nevertheless, she continues on through the cosmetics section, eyes focused on the shoe area in the distance. But her name reaching her ears stops her halfway.

"Kido?" she hears, in a voice that is masculine, but still young. It lights a spark within her that refuses to go out because _she knows that voice._ "Tsubomi Kido?"

Before she knows it, Kido is turning, her hood falling to her shoulders, and her eyes are widening, because right there in front of her is someone she thought she wouldn't see ever again.

Shuuya Kano has not changed much physically. He is still blond, and still skinny as hell, and still possessing abnormally long fingers. But he _has_ changed, she can see it in his eyes. They are older somehow, and Kido hates that she notices this after all this time. She hates that out of all her old friends from Yuukei, it just has to be _him. _

Kano, who never outright told anyone why he was placed in the Red Cabin. Kano, who is working at a cosmetics counter at Belk's instead of going to school. Kano, who has grown, but not that much, and is now several inches shorter than Kido. Kano, who is always sporting some kind of grin, no matter the circumstance.

Kano, who thinks Kido should talk more.

"Y-yeah," Kido says, and she takes pride in the way his eyebrows arch towards his hairline. Looks like all those speech classes finally paid off. Before she can say anything else, though, something slams into her from behind and sends her stumbling forward and right into a certain cosmetics worker.

Kano catches her, arms strong and sure, a small squeak escaping his mouth, and Kido notices with a shock that he is still wearing his hoodie. It is hidden by the long white jacket that is uniform for the employees in this section, but it is there. She sees the telltale dots and can even pick out the areas where he added extra fabric to make it bigger.

It surprises her that Kano can be so sentimental.

(It also surprises her that he squeaked when he caught her, but she's so nice, she won't even bring it up.)

He helps steady her, and Kido takes pride in the blush of his cheeks and the thin line that his lips make as they press together, and pointedly neglects to thank him for catching her.

After assuring herself that Kano is still an idiot when it comes to girls and all other things, Kido rounds on whatever pushed her in the first place, a glare subconsciously settling into her eyes.

And for the second time that day, Kido is caught off guard by the appearance of an old acquaintance form Yuukei Summer Camp. The universe really has it out for her today.

The boy (or man she supposes; he doesn't look it, though) in front of her is lanky and awkward, with a sweaty brow and a look that can only be compared to a deer in the headlights. It is obvious he hasn't changed much.

Then it becomes obvious that he hasn't changed _at all_ when he bows, hands fisted at his side. Kido's eyebrows rise, shocked by the fierce mutters of, "Sorry, sorry! It won't happen again my apologies it's my fault sorry!"

"Oh, relax Shintaro!" Kano's voice grinds on Kido's eardrums and she clenches her jaw. "It's just Kido, our _scaaary_ former cabinmate!"

Kido watches as Shintaro's back stiffens and he slowly straightens. There is a sleek black phone in his right hand that has earbuds plugged into it; one goes straight into his ear and the other hangs from his neck. His mouth forms a small 'O', eyes widening considerably.

"K-Kido...I haven't seen you in a while." It is a Shintaro thing to say, because he has always been one to state the obvious.

Kido nods, shoving her hands into her hoodie pocket, and replies with a soft "Hey."

"Well guys, I hate to interrupt this _exciting_ reunion, but I'm supposed to be over at my counter in exactly negative three minutes, so maybe we could all move over there so I can hear the _juicy _secrets you two are about to swap?" Kido and Shintaro roll their eyes at Kano's stupid comments, but they follow him back to the _Joe Blasco_ area nonetheless. (Kido can already feel it; she is conforming to the pattern she grew used to while at Yuukei, remembering the movements and the phrases. The familiarity is overwhelming.)

They stop when Kano stops, and a pristine white counter that houses numerous types of makeup sits in front of them. Kano doesn't even bother to go around to the entrance, just sits on the glass and pulls his legs over, landing on the other side gracefully. Kido notices that his boots have slight heels, and she hides her laugh behind a single hand.

"Alright, so," Kano says, arms stretching leisurely over his head. "I have to work now, but it's not usually that busy this time a day, so you can just talk amongst yourselves when I have a customer, okay?"

Shintaro and Kido glance at each other, and then shrug because it can't be _that_ bad to talk to one another.

"Alrighty then! Shintaro, why don't you go first? Tell Kido what you've been up to these past few years." Appearing highly interested, Kano rests his arms on the counter and leans forward. As odd as it sounds, Kido is relieved he is here, no matter how annoying he may be. Even though Kano's faults are unending, he _is_ good at initiating conversation.

Shintaro scratches his neck, eyes bouncing from different things in the distance. "I mostly just stay home now. I design music an-and stuff. Do a little programming in my free time."

"Cool," is the only thing Kido says in reply, because she doesn't care all that much if she is being honest. Then, she quickly asks the one thing that has been on her mind since first realizing who had bumped into her. "So, how's Ayano doing?"

Kido hears a small choking sound behind her, but when she turns, Kano is standing with his elbow on the cosmetics counter and his chin on his hand. His grin still reminds her of the Chesire Cat's, and that scar above his eyebrow is skillfully hidden by makeup.

Slowly, she turns back to Shintaro, a small crinkle forming between her eyebrows. He looks nervous, _scared_ even, and his hands twist and turn around the phone in his hands. His eyes dart everywhere but to her.

"Shintaro," Kido starts, and she feels as if she's approaching a wild animal. "Is...is Ayano okay? Did something happen?" She grows desperate, breaths escaping in harsh gasps. The room blurs. Something bad happened; she knows it, she just _knows_ it. "Where is she, Shintaro?! Where is she?!"

"Kido." Kano is the last person she wants to talk to right now, but she turns to him anyway. He has shifted positions, hands clasped and pressed to his lips, hair hanging in front of his face. His eyes focus on some foundation that shows through the glass counter. His voice is soft. "Ayano's mom died a little over two and a half years ago. A few months later, Ayano committed suicide. She's been dead for over two years."

Somehow, Kido knows that he planned every single word. He listed the motive, the technique, the time, and he even made sure to drive it home by saying 'dead', but it's not enough for Kido.

_"What."_

Shintaro still hasn't looked at her, but at least he's not fidgeting with that stupid phone anymore. Kano has tilted his head so that his hands rest in between his eyes, thumb just brushing that single scar. He still smiles, just a little bit, and Kido wants to hit him.

"You heard me, Kido."

"I - I don't believe you." Her voice is edged with denial and desperation, a sharpened knife in the form of words.

"Well, believe what you want," Kano says, and he spreads his arms out into the air, a helpless little grin on his face. "It's the truth."

Truth. The one thing that Kido has never associated with Kano. Yet here she is, faced with an impossible decision that centers around _truth_. Kido looks at his eyes, because that is the thing that always gives him away. She remembers now, how she had noticed that they looked older, and clenches her fists in desperation.

Ayano is..._Ayano_. She is full life and compassion, and would never commit suicide. She just _wouldn't_. But Kido's stomach still flips and her eyes still sting. Eventually, she just shoves it from her mind and nods, promising herself to think it over later when she is alone. She doesn't want to show weakness, not in front of Shintaro and _definitely _not in front of Kano.

The three of them stand there for a while, eyes downcast and mood somber, but Shintaro breaks that image by suddenly clasping a hand to his ear and hurriedly removing his earbud.

A loud and shrill sound emits from it, rising in volume as the seconds pass, and it is only then does Kido take a closer look at Shintaro's phone.

A girl, from the shoulders up, is pictured there, eyebrows drawn down and mouth moving extremely fast; her voice can still be heard from the earbuds. Blue hair is pulled into two pigtails, and her eyes match the color. She wears a pair of gray clunky headphones over her ears, with a single blue band-aid spreads across the side of her jaw. Kido thinks for a minute that she looks familiar, but she shakes it off. She doesn't know anyone with blue hair.

"Oi," says Shintaro, his tone of voice still awkward sounding, but more at ease. "Calm down, I can't understand you!" The Blue Girl, as Kido has come to know her in her head, snaps her mouth shut and glowers, shoulders inching towards her ears in anger.

Probably due to the fact that she is no longer yelling, Shintaro gently places a single bud back into his ear and gives his phone a meaningful look. "Slower this time."

The girl's mouth starts moving again, but Kido is unable to hear what is being said. Though by Shintaro's expression, it's not anything good.

"Why would she want to talk to you," he deadpans after a while. Blue Girl opens her mouth as if to scream again, but Shintaro beats her to it. "Okay, okay! Just don't shout!" His free hand is poised in the universal 'stop' position and the look on his face is priceless.

He slowly unplugs his earbuds and extends the phone away from his body. The screen is facing away from him, and right at Kido.

"_Kido!_" the girl squeals, and her shirt sleeves almost hit her face as she waves her arms in excitement.

Eyes widening, face going slack, and mouth dropping open _just a little bit, _Kido has to wonder how she is capable of getting caught up in such impossible situations.

"...Takane," she says slowly, and it is more of an observation than anything. Suddenly, she is able to see it. Dye the blue hair a dark brown and cut the bangs in a diagonal line, then it would be obvious that this girl and Takane Enomoto are one and the same. "Hi."

"Jeez, Kido," drawls Takane, and rolls her eyes, which have changed from a light hazel to a bright blue with age. "You haven't seen me for seven years and all you can say is 'hi'? Not even a 'how're you doing'?" She pouts, her arms crossing.

"Uh," mumbles Kido. A blush creeps up her neck. "How...are you doing?" A squeak manages to squeeze its way into her sentence and Kido winces.

Takane can be seen reclining back in her chair, a contemplative manner surrounding her. "Wellll, other than the fact that I'm currently forbidden to leave the house, and I go by Ene now, just a heads up, I'm doing great! Thank god for FaceTime!" She perks up at the last minute, a large smile overtaking her pixelated face.

"Oi, can you hurry up, my arm is starting to hurt."

"_Master_, you wouldn't have problems if you actually bothered to leave the house every now and then."

Kido casts a glance at Kano, only to see him assisting a young girl with picking out eyeliner; he won't be any help explaining anything. (Not that its possible for him to be _helpful_ in the first place.)

"_It's not like you leave your house, either!_"

"_I don't have a choice!_"

Kido just stares, dumbfounded. At camp, these two only interacted when absolutely necessary, but here they are, arguing like they've known each other for years. Kido has to wonder if she's the only one that didn't keep in contact with the others; if everyone else formed an even tighter bond, one that Kido isn't included in.

"_I don't have chicken legs!"_

The odd sentence piques Kido's interest and she turns her head back to them, raising a single eyebrow along the way. Now that she thinks about it, Shintaro was kind of skinny...

"Master wouldn't sound so defensive if it weren't true..."

Takane's voice fades out and Kido catches a glimpse of her shaking her head sadly. Then, she steels her nerves and opens her mouth, letting her question flow forth. "Why do you call him 'Master'?

Shintaro and Takane turn to look at her, as if remembering that she is still there to witness their argument. In unison, they reply, "Lost a bet." They wear opposite expressions.

Nodding, even though she is still slightly confused, Kido mumbles, "Ahhh."

"So, so, what have you been up to lately, Kido? Married yet?" The question comes from Kano, who has suddenly appeared beside her. Kido's elbow digs into his gut without hesitation.

"No," says Kido, watching with distaste as Kano holds onto the counter with one hand and holds his stomach with the other. She feels no regret, though; the little brat had it coming.

"Ahh, that's surprising, seeing as how you're so cute and open and adora-" Kano makes a sudden choking sound, sinking to the ground, and Kido withdraws her fist.

"Did you really have to hit him that hard," Shintaro asks, but he doesn't sound too concerned. Kido shrugs.

"So, my dear cabinmates," says a voice from the floor. Kido looks down to see Kano sitting cross-legged, head tilted up so that he can beam up at them. She feels disappointment that he is no longer in pain. "My shift ends soon, so maybe we can grab something to eat? Catch up on everything? There's this great Japanese restaurant in the food joint. It has the _best_ sushi..." He trails off, eyes closed, and expression blissful. Of course he still hasn't grown out of his Japanese phase.

"Sure," Shintaro starts to say, Kido echoing him with very little enthusiasm, but they are interrupted before they finish.

Because that is when the first explosions go off.

* * *

**AN: and that's that. sorry if it seemed kinda rushed, i really just wanted to give kido, shintaro, takane, and kano as little time as possible together before the terrorists strike. (and yes, i'm using the story line. mainly bc it's convenient and it actually happened in the series.) as for where kano works, i basically just looked through some cruelty-free cosmetic companies because i figured he wouldn't want to work for anything that hurt animals. (plus seto would kill him if he did.) hopefully, i'll be able to cover the backstories of all of the dan in the future, but don't hold your breath.**

**thanks for reading!**


	3. captives

**AN: wow it has been over a month since my last update i am so sorry. saturday's ep gave me the motivation to finish ngl. it was rough but also so beautiful and kano was a douche. it also gave the motivation to provide this chap with the ending that that i did. anyways, hope you enjoy the occasional irony easter eggs that i put in here! (ex: kano and knives, seto and puppy, etc.)**

**disclaimer: if i owned kagepro there would be a lot more kano and seto interaction.**

* * *

Tsubomi Kido does not like smoke. It snakes down her throat and nests in her lungs and makes her eyes swell. Right now, it surrounds her, a cloud that prevents her from seeing her feet, and a fear that grips her heart and squeezes harshly.

Kano is the one to break her out of her daze, ironically. His hand slides into hers and pulls, his voice rising frantically above the screams of the shoppers. But he himself is not frantic; instead, he is calm and focused, tugging her through the cosmetics section with a sharp yet reassuring grin on his face.

Stumbling every now and then, Kido looks around for Shintaro, hoping to see his telltale red jacket somewhere, but she doesn't catch sight of him. "Wait," Kido shouts, voice hoarse from the grey that billows around her. "Wait, Kano, where's Shintaro?"

Kano pauses, grin faltering for a minute, and Kido sees the fear that momentarily glimmers in his eyes. "Don't know," he replies. He sounds like he doesn't really care, and Kido wonders if that's true. "But don't worry, he'll be fine. Right now, we just have to find a way out before we're caught, okay?"

They are standing beside a display filled with fancy brushes used to apply blush, and Kano's white jacket is smudged with dirt. He follows Kido's gaze for a moment, then quickly proceeds to rip it off and toss it behind a random counter.

"Made me more noticeable," he explains, shrugging and smiling and seemingly not bothered at all by the situation they were in.

Kido coughs twice to clear her throat, and nods.

Without another word, Kano turns around and starts walking again, hand still clenched around Kido's wrist. "Wellll," he babbles, and every once in a while he will look behind him to make sure Kido is okay. "I guess this kinda throws a wrench in our plans for dinner, huh? Too bad, it sounded like such a fun da-"

"If you add an t-e to that word," Kido interrupts. "You will die." The only reason she hadn't hit him immediately is because she had figured it would be fairly counterproductive to the whole 'escape and find help' plan.

"Okay, okay, calm down." He takes a sharp right, dragging Kido along with him, and almost knocking over a rack of nightgowns. "There's a staircase right next to the changing rooms. Hopefully, they won't have any guards around it, and we can-"

"Hey, you two! Freeze!" The voice comes from in front of them, and Kido can see the faint shape of a man carrying a gun approaching them.

Kano curses under his breath and pushes Kido behind him, finally releasing the hold on her wrist. "Run," he mutters, a grin still showing on the area of cheek that Kido can see. "Go into the racks and work your way around; I'll distract him."

"Like hell," Kido whispers back fiercly, and she itches to smack the back of his head because he is being so _stupid_. "I'm not leaving without you."

"Kidoooo," Kano whines, moving so he takes up more of the space that is between her and the gunman. "You're being so difficuuuuult. Can't you just do what I say for once?"

"Because," she growls back. "You're an idiot. And I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn't do what idiots tell me to do."

By now, the gunman has reached both of them, and Kido has lost her chance to escape. Even though Kido is taller than Kano, she can't quite see around him, so she is forced to rely on hearing only.

"Hands behind your backs, both of you," Kido hears. The voice is rough, and muffled by what is probably a mask of some sort. Kano's shoulders tense.

"Isn't the usual order 'above your head,'" he wonders aloud, which proves Kido's point of how he is an idiot.

"What the-," the man says, which is a common reaction to the creature that is Shuuya Kano. "Kid, in case you didn't notice, I'm holding a gun and you're not, so you better do what I say."

"My, my, so harsh. It's not like I was refusing to do it. I was just asking."

"Yeah, and I'm just doing my job and taking you two hostage. Now, _hands behind your back._"

Kido and Kano both comply with varying speeds, and the gunman moves forward, zipties in hand. He secures Kano first, poking the gun barrel into his stomach for good measure, then moves onto Kido. He is surveying her figure as he ties her, a nasty smirk in place, but he stops as soon as he catches sight of her glare. Kido can hear Kano chuckle under his breath.

Neither of them speak as they are dragged back the way they had come, and soon they are grouped with the rest of the hostages that have been herded into the shoe section. Kido casts a longing look at a nearby pair of green Converse, and wonders how a mission as simple as 'buying shoes' managed to be so terribly warped.

"You know, I get an employee's discount on anything in the store," is whispered in her ear, and Kido grits her teeth because Kano is being a dweeb _yet again_.

"Shut _up_," she mutters back, turning her head slightly so that he can see the fearsome glare that she wears. "You shouldn't even be worrying about what you're going to do when we get out of here; you should be worrying about _how_ we're going to get out."

Kido is about to continue her verbal thrashing, but a body is dropped beside her before she can. Frozen by the fear that courses through her veins at the sight of one of the gunmen, and by the terrible hilarity of the situation at hand, Kido watches as the newly deposited hostage sits up and smiles toothily, two yellow clips attached to his hair.

"Hi Kano!" Kousuke Seto says with a voice that is much too cheerful, and Kido feels like crying. The gunman has, thankfully, walked away from them by now and does not hear him.

"Seto!" replies Kano, and good god, he sounds cheerful, too. "What are you even doing here?"

"I thought that I would surprise you with a visit! But it seems that idea didn't work out too well..." He chuckles, and his gaze eventually strays a little to the right, only to land directly on Kido. He gapes, then smiles, bigger and brighter than before. "_Tsubomi!_ I didn't know you were here, too!"

Idiots, Kido decides as Seto tries to hug her, despite his hands being tied behind his back; she is surrounded by idiots. Kano is an idiot because stupidity makes up his very core. Seto is an idiot because he doesn't even have the sense to be quiet in a goddamn _hostage situation_. Just plain idiots.

A faint snapping sound interrupts her internal grumbling, and Kido turns to see Kano with a shrewd smirk on his face. "About time," he comments, and then brings his unbound wrists around to his front so he can rub them.

It takes Kido longer than she would care to admit to figure out what is wrong with this picture. "Y-your hands," she says, eyes wide. Seto just smiles knowingly beside her.

"Kano, I thought we agreed that you would stop taking knives to work," he scolds jokingly, turning so that his back is to Kano and his hands are spread as far apart as possible.

"Ehhh, what can I say," Kano murmurs, a gleam in his eyes. He flicks his hand and suddenly there is a small knife in it, only as long as his thumb. He scoots forward and starts sawing at Seto's binds, the tip of his tongue poking out from between his lips.

"Ho-," Kido starts to say, but her throat is still dry from the smoke and she coughs before continuing. "How did you get that past the gunman? He patted us down." And he had, though Kido's glare had discouraged him from 'patting down' any forbidden places.

"My, my Kido," chuckles Kano, and Seto smiles at her over his shoulder. "You really need to learn about the art of deception." It is but a second later that Seto's wrists are finally freed, and Kano turns to her with his blade held in the air. "And now it's your turn!"

"You are not coming near me with any kind of sharp object in your hand. Absolutely not."

Kano sighs, a small crease appearing between his eyebrows. "Kido, if you're hands aren't freed, you'll only be a hindrance when we escape; you need to-"

"I don't _need _to do anything," Kido grouched. "And I already told you, I don't follow instructions from idiots."

Seto laughs at that, and murmurs something about "she never changes" that Kido is kind enough to ignore. His voice growing in volume, he then asks, "Would you like _me _to cut you free, Kido?" He tilts his head and smiles at her.

Now let's get something straight: Tsubomi Kido is a very complex person. And when Seto asks her this, she has several instinctive thoughts swirl into existence almost immediately. For instance, her Idiocy-a-meter (the thing inside her that measures how stupid someone is being), immediately tells her, gunmen or not, that she needs to get away from Seto and Kano _now, _because they are not to be trusted with knives. Her old self from Yuukei Summer Camp can't help but remember that Kano was the one that had the most skill when they had whittled little statues using only a pocketknife and a small piece of wood. Her common sense, which is what she tends to listen to most, tells her that Seto, with his soft amber eyes and his bright yellow barrettes, is trustworthy.

"Fine," she finally huffs, and turns so that her wrists are exposed to him. Seto sets to work, and once or twice she will feel the coldness of the blade press up her skin, but it never bites into her. Her hands are released from the zipties within a minute.

"There you are," he almost laughs, and she turns back to face him, rubbing her wrists. He holds the hilt of the knife out to Kano, who folds it up and tucks it into the pocket of his jeans. "Now we just have to escape!"

Seto says it as if it is not that big of a deal, no more difficult than completing a hundred piece puzzle or finding the hypotenuse of a 3x4 triangle (the answer is 5, Kido remembers absentmindedly). And for some reason, his carefree attitude aggressively rubs Kido the wrong way and she is suddenly aware of the fact that she is _ticked off_.

"And how," she growls, fists clenched and frown prominent, "Do you propose we do that?"

Kano is the one to answer her, and he does so with his usual dramatic flair. "Welllll," he mumbles, rubbing his chin as if he has a beard. "If we could just find Shintaro, we could get Taka - ah, _Ene_ - oh yeah Seto, I forgot to tell to tell you that they were here, too! Anyways, we can get Ene to hack into the mall's security system and activate the emergency sprinklers. Though there has to be a reason why they didn't go off when the initial explosions occurred..."

As he trails off, Kido feels a pang of guilt strike her, her earlier angry fading to a dull flame. She had forgotten about Shintaro and Takane (or Ene, since she _had_ said she preferred to be called that now). It had been a while since she had anyone to worry about other than herself, but that was still inexcusable.

"Hey, isn't that Mary?" Kano's voice, which has apparently not lost its mesmerizing quality after all these years, cuts straight into Kido's ears, and she finds herself turning her head in all different directions, searching for the girl with something akin to a hysterical sob rising from her lungs. It just _figures_, doesn't it.

(She happens to spare a glance in Seto's direction as she looks; his mouth is hanging open and his eyes are wide and she swears that she sees sparkles popping into existence in the air around him. He looks like a lovestruck puppy.)

Kido's eyes finally fall onto a blob of white fluff, and underneath the fluff is a face, young and pale, with pink eyes that are wet with tears and tiny teeth that pull at the skin of her lip. Her shoulders, covered by a light blue dress and lacy white pinafore, are rising up and down swiftly. She looks like she's going to burst into tears at any moment.

"We need to-," Seto starts, and acts as if he's about to get up, but Kano grips his upper arm harshly and pulls him back down.

"You're going to get caught, Seto," Kano chides with a roll of his eyes, but it's pretty obvious that Seto is incapable of focusing of anything that is not Mary for the time being.

"But...," Seto murmurs, "Mary looks upset..." His resemblance to a puppy increases exponentially.

"Don't worry big guy," Kano says, and pats his back reassuringly. "You can go comfort your girlfriend after we figure out how to take down the bad guys."

Seto is undoubtedly about to say a thing or two about the "girlfriend" comment, but Kido interrupts him, a thought beginning to form in her head. "Wait. Seto, did you come here with Mary?"

He shakes his head, and Kano's gaze focuses on the two of them, a single blond eyebrow raises questioningly. "Then...," Kido mumbles, hands gripping each other within the safety of her hoodie pocket. "Then isn't is odd that so many of us are here at the _exact_ same time? I mean there's me, you two, Mary, Shintaro, and Ta - Ene so far. Isn't that a bit of a coincidence?"

Kano nods slowly, and a single hand comes up to push his bangs away from his forehead. "Maybe," he sighs, eyes focusing on the square white tiles that make up the ceiling. "You know, this could all just be fate. Bringing us all together, only to have us all die tragically in a stereotypical hostage situation..."

His face is shoved into the floor by Kido's hand within seconds. "Stop acting like such an idiot, Kano. You're being creepy."

"Seto," he croaks in response, his voice muffled by the carpet. "Promise me something. Once Kido kills me, live strongly while I'm gone!"

Seto snorts, ducking his head in an attempt to hide his smile. "Will do, Bro," he chuckles, flashing a quick thumbs up.

Breathing a deep and heavy sigh, Kido removes her palm from the back of Kano's head, and he pops up into an upright position like a _daisy_ or something. "Okay, now that my life is no longer being threatened, let me actually think about how we can escape, save Mary and Shintaro, and hopefully not get shot." His hand once again begins starts to rub his chin, and Kido doesn't doubt that that is his 'thinking position' because that's just how Kano is.

Kido slowly allows her hopes to rise, just a little, as he sits like that, eyes trained on the floor. After all, though Kano is an idiot of the highest caliber, it's not like he's not smart.

Back at Camp Yuukei, he had been the only one who could get away with getting extra cookies at dinner, and he had once warded off a group of Momo's followers just by using words that flowed from his mouth like ink to a page. He could manipulate people, and he could understand their motives and decisions, no matter how twisted, and his memory was nothing to laugh at, that's for sure. Honestly, Kido had faith that if anyone could get them out of this mess, it was Kano.

(The realization that she actually thought this almost made her gag, but Kido managed not to at the last minute.)

And surveying Kano's face, she can almost see the gears spinning and tumbling throughout his head and the lightbulb that is struggling to light itself. His make-up had rubbed off a bit, and the scar above his eyebrow is more visible, but Kido thinks it suited him and his abrupt personality.

All thoughts of this side of Kano are thrown away as soon as a hand reaches down and wraps around his neck, and the barrel of a sleek piston is pressed into the hair just above his ear.

"Well well," the man purrs as he tugs Kano to his feet, sliding his arm so that it settled nicely in between Kano's collarbone and chin, pressing up against his throat. "What do we have here."

Kido wants to look at the face of who holds the gun, of who holds _Kano_, but she can't because she is too busy focusing on Kano's surprised face, on his widened eyes and mouth that hangs open just barely and hands that claw at the arm of his captor. His muscles are too stiff, and he is slowly being choked, and a bullet is about to punch its way through his skull and into his brain and its going to _splatter everywhere _and Kido feels like Kano because she feels like she can't breathe either.

"Do tell," reaches her ears (It doesn't register until later when she is seated on some random chair with blood splattered upon her entire body, her entire _being)_. "How you managed to free your hands, _Deceiver_."

Kano says something witty in return, or at least Kido assumes that he does because his lips are moving and a garbled sound is coming out of them, but the only warped words that she can understand are "henchmen" and "idiots". He wheezes a bit, hands scrabbling once again at the arm at his neck.

His answer, no matter how distorted it had been, apparently displeases the gunman, and he shows it with a soft, "Tch." That simple syllable is filled with contempt and sarcasm and a promise of pain and blood.

Kido finally brings herself to look at him.

He is tall, and wears black, baggy clothing over his skinny frame, and a pile of black hair is on top of his head, tied back at the nape of his neck. His fingers are long and pale, and a single one of them rests on the trigger of his gun. On his cheek is a tattoo of two black dots that are connected by a single line, and his eyes are a lifeless yellow.

She recognizes him in that moment; she remembers exactly where she had seen him before, even though he had been smaller and not as wicked and merely in a measly picture. She knows his name, and she knows that she can talk to him, hopefully convince him not to shoot. She knows that she has a chance at saving Kano.

But then Kuroha pulls the trigger.

* * *

**AN: laughs i honestly did not intend for this chapter to end this way um? i was actually going to have the entire mekakushi dan meet up and save the day, but instead i had a wild seto appear, a brief mary sighting, and a bullet through kano's stupid face. oops.**

**and i'll go ahead and tell you that kano really is dead. like permanently dead. because this fic is in the angst category and i have to live up to that okay. AND THE REASON KUROHA IS ACTUALLY CALLED THAT WILL BE EXPLAINED NEXT CHAP I PROMISE. i don't really like the way i handled the whole konoha/kuroha/haruka thing but oh well. it's already done with and over.**

**um exams are approaching but after that is summer so hopefully the next chap will be up within a month? maybe? we can hope?**


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